Hooped Up

When the months of tension-filled preparation ended and the Kings were finally on the NBA draft clock Thursday in New York, they had the same five-minute allotment as the rest to deliberate their pick.

But Madison Square Garden officials needn’t bother with the clock. The Kings had their man.

The team so badly in need of a talent boost opted for Memphis guard Tyreke Evans with the No. 4 pick, taking him without hesitation or concern for the popularity of the pick because they simply see him as special.

Sacramento Bee

The Sacramento Kings select 4th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. Listen to who Fantasy Sports Girl Jennifer thinks the Kings are picking and then check out her selections vitals, strengths, 08-09 stats and draft demo reel after the jump.

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Westphal, who has a record of 267-159 in six-plus seasons as an NBA head coach, was told he will be the next Kings coach.

With the Kings engaged in their third coaching search in the past four off-seasons, and Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau also in the running, Kings basketball President Geoff Petriehad deemed it a horse race that would end in a photo finish. But it wasn’t nearly that simple, as Westphal won the job largely on his NBAexperience and enthusiasm for the job itself.

He becomes the fourth Kings coach since Rick Adelman was not re-signed in 2006. Even though Westphal hasn’t been a head coach since 2000 (in Seattle), Petrie said he has no doubt he will be part of the solution.

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento actually has options in this years thin draft with the fourth pick and while rubbing elbows with the my homie (on Twitter) and should be Bulls GM  Barack Obama at a function in Las Vegas. They Maloof’s asked the President who they should select to help the Kings next season. 

“Phil asked him who we (the Maloof-owned Sacramento Kings) should take in the NBA draft,” George Maloof said. “He liked Blake Griffin, of course; (Hasheem) Thabeetfrom Connecticut and he loved the kid from Memphis – Tyreke Evans,” the consensus national freshman of the year choice.”

Don’t worry tax paying complainer guy, I’m sure the conversation eventually drifted over to the North Korea situation, but I’m sure it was brief since it goes without saying that Kim Jong-il is a crazy bastard.

Via Las Vegas Review-Journal

Whereas the Washington Wizards have reportedly offered their head-coaching position to Flip Saunders, the Kings will likely take their time mulling over a much-longer list of candidates in the coming months that is thought to include Eddie Jordan, Mike Fratello, Jeff Ruland and John Whisenant. While Jordan is believed to be one of the many, the former Wizards coach made it clear on a Washington Post Live television show Tuesday that he is ready to coach again. And when asked about the Kings’ position, Jordan did little to dispute the idea that he wants to return to the place where he coached late in the 1996-97 season (going 6-9) and the entire 1997-98 campaign (27-55). 

Sacramento Bee

Lil Wayne was court side of the New Orleans Hornets versus Sacramento Kings game, and when he was asked his thoughts on the game so far, boy did he ever break it down. Somebody should make Lil Wayne an assistant coach. He clearly understands the game, looks smart with the Buddy Holly glasses and I’d love to hear a coach on an offensive possession yell out once in my life
“Treat dey defense like a project chick, ya heard!”.

Via The Sporting News + Ball Don’t Lie

Last night, the Sacramento Kings retired the jersey of the man, the myth, the legend and the beard Vlade Divac.

Over a span of six years spent in Sacramento, Divac became the second-leading rebounder in Kings history and was part of the Kings squad that won back-to-back Pacific division titles. As part of the first wave of European players to play in the NBA in the 1980’s, Vlade Divac is considered a pioneer internationally.

He is also one of only three players in NBA history to record 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocked shots, with the two others being hall-of-famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Over his 16 year career, Divac also played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets.

I can’t picture the Pacers playing anywhere else but Indiana or the Kings calling somewhere else home other than Sacramento, but given these economic times anything can happen.

“According to an NBA executive, there is growing concern inside the Kings organization that if their arena issue isn’t resolved, they could end up moving to Anaheim. Anaheim has been hoping to get an NBA team for years, has filled its arena for Lakers exhibition games and Clippers regular-season games, and could attract fans from as far south as San Diego. The Lakers and Clippers, however, could challenge for territorial rights fees, and it could be hard for the Kings to find a spot on television in LA, too. The financially strapped Pacers, who reportedly have lost $200 million since 1983, also could be on the move eventually. San Jose, Kansas City, Seattle, and Las Vegas are potential future NBA homes.”

Boston Globe

The fire sale in Sacramento continues and this time Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown have been traded to Minnesota in exchange for Rashad McCants and veteran Calvin Booth.

“On the financial front, the deal - which is done but pending league approval - takes the Kings off the hook for the $736,420 owed to Continue »

The Bulls, Kings and Blazers played lets make a deal today and seven players ended up with new jerseys and addresses.

“The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings have reached tentative agreement on a trade sending Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons, front-office sources said on Wednesday.

The Kings would then turn around and ship Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazersfor forward Ike Diogu and cash considerations.”

Another year goes by and the throwback jersey collection of Drew Gooden grows — with more Drew Gooden jerseys.

Via ESPN